Harry spurrier



No. 6l2,l8l. Patented Oct. ll, I898.

H. SPURRIER.

BETORT.

(Application filed Mar. 4, 1898.)

(No Model.)

ma Nonms PETERS co., PHDTO-UTHO WASHINGTON. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY SPURRIER, OF MONTREAL, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLESWAUDBY PEARSON, OF WESTMOUNT, CANADA.

RETO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,181, dated October11, 1898.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY SPURRIER, of the city of Montreal, Province ofQuebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRetorts and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

My invention relates particularly to retorts for use in the destructivedistillation of sawdust and it has for its object to provide meanswhereby the sawdust during the process of distillation will be kept in aconstant state of agitation and each particle thereof be brought atintervals into the area of the greatest heat, at the same time providingfor the most effective collection of the by-products and the uniformfeeding to the retort of the sawdust.

To these ends the invention may be said, briefly, to consist of a pairof cylinders located one within the other, and one, preferably theinner, of said cylinders being rotary, a pair of helices being mountedone intermediate of said cylinders and the other inside of the innercylinder, said helices being adapted to feed the sawdust in differentdirections, a gas-discharge, preferably having a transverse perforateddiaphragm, being provided at the highest point of the cylinders, and agatecontrolled discharge for the residue provided at the lowest pointthereof, While an expansion-chamber is preferably located intermediateof the cylinder and the said dischargepassage, and the pipe throughwhich the saw dust is supplied to the cylinders having a helix locatedtherein.

For full comprehension, however, of the invention reference must be hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich like symbols indicate corresponding parts, and wherein- Figure 1is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of my improved retort; andFig. 2, a transverse vertical sectional view thereof, taken on line 2 2,Fig. 1.

The stationary cylinder may be mounted upon any suitable superstructure(not shown) and consists, preferably, of a tubular section 5, havinghemispherical ends 6 and 7, secured thereto, preferably by bolts,rivets, or the like. These ends are formed with bearings 9,

Application filed March 4,1898. Seria1No.672, 540. (No model.)

in which rest the tubular trunnions 10 and 11 of the open-ended innerrotary cylinder 12, the capacity whereof is equal to the capacity of thespacebetween same and the outer cylinder, a pulley 13 being rigidlymounted upon the tubular trunnion 11, while a helix 14 is rigidlymounted upon the exteriorof the inner cylinder, and the vanes thereofare of sufficient width to have their radially outer edges rotating inclose proximity to the inner surface of the outer cylinder.

A shaft 15 extends through the tubular trunnions and is held againstdisplacement at one end by a disk 16, secured thereon, and the other endthereof has a pulley 17 mounted rigidly thereon, while a helix 18 iscarried rigidly by said shaft and extends from end to end of said innercylinder, the interior of which it closely fits.

The surface of the outer cylinder is formed adjacent to one end thereofto present a domelike extension 20, to the upper end of which isconnected a pipe 21 for the discharge of the gases and communicatingwith any suitable receptacle, (not shown,) this pipe having a perforateddiaphragm 22 secured transversely thereof.

A supply-pipe 23, having a helix 24 n1ounted therein, driven from anysuitable source by a shaft 25 and pulley 26 is connected adjacent to theother end of said outer cylinder and preferably communicates at itsupper end with any suitable form of hopper adapted to carry the supplyof sawdust to be distilled, while the lower side of the outer cylinderhas connected thereto a dischargepipe 27, leading to any suitablereceptacle (not shown) and provided with agate 28, the supply-pipe 23being also provided with a gate 29.

The operation of my improved retort isas follows: The gate 29 is openedand the helix 24: started, which will break up any lumps that mightoccur in the sawdust and feed same uniformly into the space between thecylinders. The outer helix then acts upon the sawdust and causes same totravel from right to left (see Fig. 1) along the interior of the outercylinder, and owing to the upward curve of the left-hand end will beprecipitated into the adjacent end of the inner cylinder, along which itwill be caused to travel in a right-hand direction by the inner helix18. \Vhen the retort is filled, the feedinghelix 24 is stopped and thegate 29 closed, after which the entire mass is kept continually inmotion, one half moving in one direction and the other half moving in anopposite direction until complete destructive distillation has takenplace, the dome 2O serving as an expansion-chamber for the gases and theperforated diaphragm 22 preventing the escape of any particles with thegases through the pipe 21, while upon the gate 28 being opened theresidue will be discharged therethrough, owing to the action of theouter helix in moving same in that direction.

It is obvio us that, although I have ill ustrated and described mydevice as principally applicable for use as a retort for the destructivedistillation of sawdust, it may be used with advantageous results in.the distillation of other material or as a means to thoroughly mix anygranular or liquid substance, in which latter case the gas-dischargepipe may be dispensed with, Without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

What I claim is as follows:

1. In a retort or the like, the combination of a pair of cylinderslocated one within the other, a pair of helices adapted to impart motionin opposite directions, one of said helices being located between saidcylinders, and the other Within the inner cylinder, the inner cylinderhaving its ends open and the outer cylinder being of greater length thanthe inner cylinder and having its end-s closed, means for guidingsubstance from one of said cylinders to the other, a feed-pipe leadingto and a discharge-pipe leading from said cylinders and means foractuatingsaid helices, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a retort or the like, the combination of a rotary and a stationarycylinder located one within the other, a pair of helices adapted toimpart motion in opposite directions, one of saidhelices being locatedbetween said cylinders, and the other within the inner cylinder, theinner cylinder having its ends open and the outer cylinder being ofgreater length than the inner cylinder and having its ends closed, meansfor guiding substance from one of said cylinders to the other, afeed-pipe leading to and a discharge-pipe leading from said cylinders,means for rotating said rotary cylinder, and means for actuating saidhelices, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a retort or the like, the combination of a rotary and a stationarycylinder located one within the other, a pair of helices adapted toimpart motion in opposite directions, one of said helices being locatedbetween said cylinders and the other within the inner oylinder, theinner cylinder havingits ends open and the outer cylinder being ofgreater length than the inner cylinder and havingits ends closed and ofhemispherical form, a feed-pipe leading to and a discharge-pipe leadingfrom said cylinders, means for rotating said rotary cylinder, and meansfor actuating said helices for the purpose set forth.

4:. A retort for the destructive distillation of sawdust, comprising astationary cylinder, a rotary cylinder located within said stationarycylinder, a helix carried upon the exterior of and movable with saidrotary cylinder, a helix mounted within .said rotary cylinder, means forrotating said inner helix and rotary cylinder in opposite directions, asawdust-supply pipe, a gas discharge pipe and a residue discharge pipeconnected to said outer cylinder, and the ends of said outer cylinderbeing closed and hemispherical in form, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a retort for the destructive distillation of sawdust, ahorizontally-arranged stationary cylinder having its ends closed and ofhemispherical form, a rotary cylinder located within said stationarycylinder and mounted upon tubular trunnions extending through the endsthereof, a helix mounted rigidly upon the exterior of said rotarycylinder, a shaft extending through said tubul'ar trunnion and having ahelix mounted rigidly thereon and extending within said rotarycylinder,a pair of driving-pulleys mounted rigidly one upon said shaftand the other upon one of said trunnions, a feed-pipe communicating withthe upper side of said stationary cylinder, a gate for controlling thepassage through said pipe, a helix mounted within said pipe, means-forrotating said helix, a gas-discharge pipe also at the upper end of saidstationary cylinder and having a transverse perforated diaphragm locatedtherein, a dome or expansion-chamberlocated intermediate of saidgas-discharge pipe and cylinder, and a residue-discharge pipecommunicatiug with the lower side of said cylinder, a gate forcontrolling said latter pipe,-

substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof Ihave affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY SPURRIER. Witnesses:

WILL P. McFEAT, FRED. J SEARS.

